Category: LIVE

Perfection

You’ll never be perfect. But should you stop trying? No. Because striving for perfection is about striving for God. Because God is perfect. He’s our model. We’ll never get there but by striving we get closer to God.

Don’t beat yourself up when you’re less than perfect. That’s not an excuse for not striving to be perfect. Do your best. That’s all that God expects.

I screw up all the time. I focus on what I have done wrong. But God reminds me that to be human is to screw up. Realizing our mistakes and learning by them is all that God expects. And we need to minimize the mistakes. Move on from them.

A lot of people think they are perfect. Don’t let those people get to you. You know that only God is perfect. And, in case you are wondering, his perfection is love. Because God is love. That’s what defines God.

So, give it your best today. Strive for perfection. But learn from the mistakes. You’ll will make them. Move on. And move closer to God.

Have a PERFECT week ahead! At least strive for one!

History Repeating Itself (Again!)

There’s a reason there is a Bible. It’s God’s handbook on life to us. How many times has God saved us only to have us turn our backs on Him? A LOT!!! We (humankind, His children) constantly give in into ourselves (sin) rather than God. Our bodies and this limited time on earth are more important than our souls and an eternity of bliss.

Look at the Israelites. God practically placed them in the Promised Land, a place flowing with milk and honey. But they were too afraid to enter so God said, fine, roam the desert for 40 years on a journey to the Promised Land that should have taken 11 days. And only two of the original Israelites made it to the Promised Land. Even Moses didn’t make it!

Idols of gold are simply money today. We forget about worshiping God but instead worship wealth and everything material. No wonder we are wandering this earth of disease, war, starvation, and everything else wrong today.

Sorry to be Debbie downer but we are lost in our own desert. It’s time to wake up to God and follow His lead. He sent His Son to show us the way. This isn’t rocket science.

There’s a fork in the road for us. One way is a dead-in way that leads to death and worse. The other way is to God, fulfillment while on this earth and eternal bill after. You pick!

Have a OUTSTANDING day focused on what’s truly important!

People Disappoint. God Never Does!

I have learned the hard way that you simply can’t count on people. I’m learning that lesson the hard way all over again. This may seem pretty negative and dark but it isn’t. People come and go, are with you then against you. People change and tend to look inward. But God never changes. He always is what He always was. He always looks outward. And no matter what you do God is always there. Less than a heartbeat away. God never, ever disappoints!!!

God’s love for us is unconditional. Human love is conditional. It’s the rare person who loves without any conditions. But God doesn’t need any conditions. We beat, spit on, and hung His only Son from a cross and God is the same. Imagine how any human would react to that!

This doesn’t mean that you don’t count on family and friends to come through. I count on my wife and daughter like nobody else. But we’re all human. We are we. God is God. He simply is always there, no matter what we do, and is always less than a heartbeat away. He treats us all the same, without any conditions. God is simply God!

When you need a friend reach out to God.

Have a great day and rest of the week. And remember that God NEVER disappoints!

Takers and Givers

I heard a sermon this weekend about contrasting King Herod as a “taker” versus the Three Kings (Magi) as “givers.” Like all good sermons it made me really think about “takers” and “givers.” And pushed me to ask myself where I fall.

Unfortunately, I think the world today has a lot more “takers,” especially in high places. “Takers” only think of themselves and what they can “take” from the world around them. “Givers” are the exact opposite. They put themselves last and look to “give” back around them. I’m not talking about just giving money but about giving of oneself. Obviously, Jesus was the ultimate “giver” going as far to “give” His life for us. He is the model of “giving.”

The world is far from this or that in terms of “takers” and “givers.” I know times when I have been a “taker” and I like to think times when I have been a “giver.” But I think we tend generally to fall into one of those buckets.

I’m taking this to the bank in terms of looking at my life each day and find opportunities to “give.” It can start simply as smiling, lending a helping hand, or much more. There is no prescription on how to be a “giver.” You simply “give” of yourself. Think the other person before you think of yourself. It starts there.

Enjoy the week ahead! And GIVE!

I Cleaned My Garage

Boy does it feel good! The garage in our new house was the victim of massive clutter. Any box we didn’t know where to put landed in the garage. My tools were all over the place. It was beyond a mess. So, I took the time to clean it, get rid of the clutter, and organize everything. So, what does this have to do with anything other than having a clean garage?

Life is like my garage. We accumulate feelings and emotions over time that just become cluttered with thoughts all over the place. It’s tough to navigate a garage with stuff all over the place. And it’s equally tough to navigate life with emotions, thoughts, and lack of focus. So, just like cleaning the garage is satisfying, cleaning out the clutter in your life can be beyond satisfying.

If there is ever a good time to start tossing out the life clutter, getting organized, and prioritizing in life what’s really important, it’s the start of a New Year. It’s a great time to take stock, look at your life in a different light, and get rid of the clutter. And, boy, will it feel good.

Just like with my garage, it can be daunting as to where to start. But you just have to pick a corner, or aspect, of your life and start there. What’s really important? What’s not? What are the hurt feelings that you can discard? Just start cleaning and don’t stop.

Just like my garage, you can’t let the clutter come back. You need to organize, and keep organized. And every once in a while you need to clean. You can’t let the garage be the place for things you don’t really use. And the same is true of your life.

Start cleaning today and have a BLESSED New Year!!!

Rebirth

As fast as the Christmas decorations went up after Thanksgiving—even before, in many cases—they now come down. Christmas becomes a memory except for returning the gifts that were the wrong size or that you want to exchange for something else. But you’re missing the real reason for Christmas if you don’t have a rebirth. That means that you let the child and spirit of Jesus be reborn in your heart, mind, and soul.

It’s easy to forget but we celebrate Christmas to remember the birth of our Savior, Jesus. He came into our lives to give our lives direction, meaning, and salvation. His birth should be our rebirth, at least every year renewing ourselves to give direction, meaning, and salvation to our lives. We all look at New Year’s to make all types of resolutions and course corrections. However, for Christians—true followers and believers in Jesus; not just “lip service” Christians—Christmas is the real time for a rebirth and reevaluation of our lives.

In all of this I’m not talking about some alleluia, sky-parting revelation. I’m simply talking about taking stock of your life in the context of Jesus. How does he figure into your life day to day? Is Jesus really a part of your life? Do you “talk” to Jesus? Do you read His words? Do you try to follow in His footsteps? These are some of the questions that go into a Christmas rebirth.

I have really fallen down in my posts this year. Fixing that is part of my own rebirth evaluation. If what I write helps one other person then that’s a good thing. But my writings start with my own self-evaluation. They are a way for me to reflect. They are a discipline to reflect.

Wishing you all the best of this rebirth season and a blessed New Year ahead!

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

I’m constantly stuck in time. I tend to dwell on what happened yesterday, fixated on what I need to do today, and constantly worried about planning tomorrow. That’s why I need to depend on God for help because He is all time wrapped up in one. He is yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He is above and beyond time. He lives in the moment of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. So, the closer I get to God the more I can just live in the moment.

Let me explain.

God is infinite and has no bounds. So, he knows no time. He is yesterday, today, and tomorrow all in one. I know that’s hard to understand because we are so fixated on and bound by time. But the closer we can get to God the more we can let go of yesterday, not worry about today, or planning tomorrow. We can be free of time.

My view of heaven is there is no time. We are constantly living in the moment with no worries. That’s why while on this earth we can free ourselves of getting bogged down in time if we get close to God. And God is only less than a heartbeat away.

Look, we are now planning a wedding (our daughter’s) so there is a lot of focus on tomorrow in 2023. But there is one thing to work on something that will happen in the future versus worrying over it. I’m just say that to the extent you bring God into your life the more that the concerns of time are minimized. Yesterday, today, or tomorrow.

Have a GREAT week ahead and let go of time!

The Power of Negative Thinking

We all hear about the power of positive thinking. Well, I’m here to tell you that negative thinking has a LOT of power, even more than positive thinking. But it’s like a cancer in that it grows out of control. Once you go down the path of negative thinking it’s hard to crawl back.

Positive thinking requires work. You have to really focus and not give into any doubts, fears, or negative thoughts. It takes work. And, yes, positive thinking really works. It clears the air and makes life better. It’s simply positive.

The problem with negative thinking is that it doesn’t require a lot of work. It’s easy to slip into a patter of negative thought. Positive thinking is hard. Negative thinking is easy.

And let me tell you that negative thinking is very powerful. It stops progress at its best. At its worst it debilitates. It paralyzes. It can even kill.

How to stop negative thinking? Sounds easy but by being positive. As I said, positive thinking takes work but it blocks out negative thinking. You have to make time for yourself to focus on the positives. And God is always less than a heartbeat away to help. You just have to call out to Him. Trust me, this works. And it may take work but it’s easy. God is easy. If you let Him be easy.

Stay positive and finish out the week positive. Look on the bright side. Stay positive. Look for the silver lining in everything, everyone. Stay positive.

Positive Thinking!

Don’t Beat Yourself Up!

I screw up all the time. Trust me. No matter what I know to do right I manage to do the opposite. I identify with Paul who wrote, “ I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” (Romans 7:15) That’s life. Let’s face it—none of us is perfect. But I’ve learned that you can’t beat yourself up. You need to pick yourself back up, get back in the game of life, and move forward.

Life is not a straight path. It’s filled with twists and turns and, sometimes, wrong ways. We backtrack at times. But when you make a mistake, you do your best to correct it, ask God for forgiveness, and move forward.

God knows every little, tiny screw-up we have made and will make. He knows all the little stuff as well as the big stuff. So, there is no hiding from God. Either what we have done or if we are truly sorry for our mistakes (sins). God is here. God is everywhere.

If we confess the screw-ups we are forgiven. That’s because Jesus came and died to wipe all sin away. Past, present, and future. But you need to understand that and ask for true forgiveness. That’s how it works.

Beating yourself up achieves nothing. In fact, it gives into Satan and the other evil spirits who feed off of our mistakes. They love it when you and I beat ourselves up. It drags us down, not up. So, the last thing you want to do is beat yourself up.

Have a BLESSED week ahead. Keep your head up, stay in the game, and move forward!

Renewing & Not Conforming

Paul said it all too well. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2) Don’t be a conformist. Transform yourself by “renewing” your mind. This doesn’t mean to be some type of radical. It means to not just do and say what everyone else says. Renew, invigorate, challenge. That’s what this world needs. And it’s the way to better understanding God’s will and purpose for you. Renew!

The world is not in a good place right now. And that’s because the world is pushing God out of our lives. It’s fashionable to be “secular” and not “religious.” To think we are all there is and there is no need for any god. In this country, 3 out of 10 Americans describe themselves as “nones.” And more are confirming to that view. Just like the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years, we are increasingly worshipping “idols” and pushing God out of our lives.

Start renewing your mind. LISTEN for/to God in your life. He is there if you let Him in your life. Renew your thinking. Be transformed. It’s not hard. Just takes a little time and effort.

Have an AWESOME week ahead transforming!

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